From 2007.igem.org

Communication Unit

Our Aim

Fig. 13 Quorum sensing for activating receivers!

Our aim is to make bacteria stick around a bacteria core.
Make a sender, a bacteria core that sends a signal, and a receiver, a bacteria that receive a signal.
Our system works like this: Sender core, which is sticking each other in advance, sends a signal to receivers, which grow stickey tags.
Then they stick together. We use Quorum sensing as a signal.

About Quorum Sensing

Fig. 14 Constructed circuit of Quorum sensing in our system.

Quorum sensing is a cell-to-cell signaling action of bacteria.
They detect the cell density of the same species and coordinate the expression behavior of their cells.
Species of Gram-Negative signaling transfer molecules (so-called autoinducer) is a series of acyl homoserine lactone (AHL). When the AHL concentration exceeds a threshold, that is, the cell population is over a certain number, the promoter plux transcription is activated.